Start date revealed for demolition of Greyfriars Bus Station

A timetable for the demolition of the Greyfriars building in Northampton has been announced.

Since the move of the bus station to North Gate, Greyfriars has been handed over to contractors and is boarded up.

Some internal stripping of fittings had already taken place before contractors moved into the site at the beginning of March to clear mess left by pigeons and overgrown shrubs from interior courtyards.

From April 7, work will begin to strip asbestos from the building, before the final stripping of internal fixtures and fittings, such as light fittings, power sockets and wall and floor coverings.

On Easter Sunday, the bridges that link Greyfriars to the Grosvenor complex will be removed.

Greyfriars will be closed while the removal work takes place and diversions will be in place.

Work to take the Greyfriars building down brick-by-brick, will then begin. This demolition work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014.

When demolition is complete, the site will be available for redevelopment for retail or associated use.

Cllr David Mackintosh, leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: “Greyfriars is beyond repair and its demolition opens up a very large and significant site in the town centre for new investment and redevelopment.

“As we move forward with the large regeneration projects that are changing the face of Northampton, this will breathe new life into this under-used area of town and become one of the cornerstones for a bigger and better town centre.”

More details and arrangements for the road closure will be announced at a later date.